Frosty Trails, Birds, and Ales!

(January 4, 2023) – Some of the coolest birds in Rhode Island are found in the coldest months! Take a winter birding walk, sample some tasty brews and learn all about local owls – or join a six-session birding course for beginners! Bring a friend, bundle up and join an Audubon expert in February to discover those natural wonders found only during the winter months.

Unless noted, registration is required for all programs. Register online and view a complete listing of programs through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Free Family Fun Day
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
February 3, 2024; 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
The Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium is open free to the public the first Saturday of every month. Join us for nature stories, animal discoveries, hikes and more. No need to register!
10:00 am - 3:00 pm: Craft Table
10:00 am: Nature Story
11:00 am and 2:30 pm: Animal Interview
1:00 pm: Downy Ducks. Join Audubon naturalists to learn about the migratory ducks that spend the winters in Rhode Island. Discover what they eat, where they can be found, and how they survive the bitter cold temperatures!
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Free. Ages: All.

Audubon Wednesday Morning Bird Walks
Locations Across Rhode Island
February 6, 13, 20, 28, 2024
Audubon offers small-group Wednesday Morning Bird Walks with naturalist Laura Carberry. Each week a new birding destination will be chosen. Advance registration is required. Location will be sent to registered participants in advance.
Locations determined weekly; Every Wednesday through June 2024; 9:00-11:00 am; Fee: $5/member, $10/non-member. Ages: 14+. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Learn to Bird with Audubon
Six Session Course: Virtual and In-person
Audubon Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, Seekonk, MA
February 6, 13, 17, 20, 27, March 2, 2024
Join an Audubon expert and learn the basics of birding: how to identify species in the field, local habitats, bird families, the ins-and-outs of your binoculars, and how to decipher a field guide. After this course, you will be ready to head out with your binoculars for spring migration!
This course includes six sessions: four virtual 90-minute lectures and two in-person two-hour guided birding excursions at Caratunk Wildlife Refuge in Seekonk. Register for all six, or pick individual classes that best fit your schedule. Register early. Please visit asri.org/calendar for class descriptions and to register.
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA; Fee: Full Birding Class (register for all six sessions): $120/member, $145/non-member. Individual sessions: $18/member for virtual session, $24/member per birdwatching hike; $21/non-member virtual session, $28/non-member per birdwatching hike. Ages: 16 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Winter Wildlife on Prudence Island
Prudence Island, RI
February 7, 2024; 9:45 am – 4:45 pm
Join an all-day adventure exploring beautiful Prudence Island! Target species will be harbor seals, which are often seen hauled out on rocks just offshore, and a variety of waterfowl that inhabit the protected coves, marshes and ponds of Prudence. If the seabird spotting is slow, we will explore the pine barrens and forested uplands. Expect to walk upwards of three miles over the course of the day.
Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Prudence Island, RI; Fee: $12 member adult/ $6 member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: Teen to adult. For more information and to register for Prudence Island programs, visit the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Winter Beach Walk with Audubon
Moonstone Beach, South Kingstown, RI
February 10, 2024; 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Join naturalist Bob Kenney for a mid-afternoon winter walk along Moonstone Beach, without the summer crowds or closed piping plover nesting areas. The program is timed to the low tide at 2:15 pm, perfect for some leisurely beach combing and bird watching. Bring your binoculars; there will be a spotting scope available. Expect to walk one or two miles in soft sand. Advance registration is required. If there is inclement weather, the program will run on February 11.
Moonstone Beach Road, South Kingstown, RI; February 10, 2024; 1:30 – 3:30 pm; Fee: $15/member; $20/non-member. Ages: Teen to Adult. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Winter Wonderland at Touisset
Audubon Touisset Wildlife Refuge, Warren, RI
February 10, 2024; 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Join Audubon at the Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge for a morning tour, looking for the wildlife that live on the refuge during the winter months. Learn how animals adapt to the cold temperatures, observe animal tracks, and listen to the sounds of nature in winter. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable and warm shoes or boots.
Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge, Touisset Road, Warren, RI; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 12 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Owls and Ales with Audubon
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
February 17, 2024;6:30 – 8:30 pm
Meet one of Audubon’s amazing owl ambassadors in person! Come to the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium for a presentation on these fascinating birds of prey while enjoying locally brewed beers. Then take a guided walk through the wildlife refuge at night to look and listen for owls and other signs of animal life. Leave the kids at home – this program is just for adults! Come prepared to go outside on a chilly evening.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Fee: $30/member; $35/non-member. Ages: 21 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Eagle Cruise on the Connecticut River
February 17, 2024; 9:00 am – 4:00pm
Join Audubon for a winter trip on the Connecticut River aboard the Riverquest to search for eagles, hawks, waterfowl, seals, and other mammals. As the river, lakes and ponds freeze, Eagles and other birds make their way to the lower Connecticut River for their favorite food – fish!
In the past up to 41 eagles have been spotted on this two-hour cruise, as well as many species of hawk, grebes, mergansers, loons, coyote, fox, deer, seals, and even a bobcat! Naturalists will be on board to narrate and make sure you don’t miss a thing! Riverquest has a heated cabin, but we suggest that you dress in warm layers since the best views will be from the open boat decks. The Riverquest maintains an age limit of 10 years and older.
Departs from Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI; Fee: $80/member; $90/non-member. Ages: 10 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Owl Prowl at Fort Refuge
Audubon Fort Wildlife Refuge, North Smithfield, RI
February 23, 2024; 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Visit Fort Wildlife Refuge at night to search for owls! An Audubon naturalist will call for different species as we walk through the forest. While we never know if we'll hear or see an owl, participants will learn a lot and have a great night hike. Please dress for the weather, wear sturdy walking shoes, and bring a flashlight. Hike will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather. Advance registration is required. This is a family program and appropriate for ages 10 and up.
Fort Nature Refuge, (Rt. 5), 1443 Providence Pike, North Smithfield, RI; Fee: $10/member; $14/non-member. Ages: 10 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

February School Vacation Week with Audubon
Winter Fun for Families at Three Audubon Locations!
Bristol and Smithfield, RI, Seekonk, MA
February 19 – 23, 2024
Don't know what to do with the family during the school vacation break? Join Audubon and get up-close with owls, turtles, hawks and other cool critters. Kids can cook up some treats for our feathered friends, hike the winter trails to look for animal tracks, dissect owl pellets, and more!
Visit the events calendar at asri.org/calendar for a complete listing of vacation week programs.
Editor’s note: Please reference the press release listing all Audubon February Vacation Week Programs for details.

Owl Prowl at Caratunk
Audubon Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, Seekonk, MA
February 24, 2024; 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Come walk the trails of Caratunk at night to look and listen for resident owls. Learn about these amazing birds, their unique calls, and the behaviors that make them so mysterious. Please dress for the weather, wear sturdy walking shoes, and bring a flashlight. Advance registration is required. These programs are designed for families with children ages 10 and up.
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 10 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Sea Glass Jewelry Workshop
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
February 24, 2024; 1;00 – 2:30 pm
Come design and create a beautiful pendant with sea glass found on local beaches. Learn how to choose the right piece of glass and transform it using quick and easy wire wrapping techniques. Program includes all materials. Find something special on the beach? Bring that too! This class fills quickly so don’t wait! Advance registration is required.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Fee: $20/member; $25/non-member. Ages: Adult. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Winter Van Trip to Cape Ann
Cape Ann, Massachusetts
February 25, 2024; 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cape Ann, Massachusetts, is a historic fishing community also known among birders for a great diversity of wintering sea birds. In the past we’ve seen Razorbills, Murres, Guillemots, Dovekies, white-winged gulls, and other species that are much harder to find in Rhode Island. Join Audubon for a day of exploring many spots around the Cape Ann coastline including Gloucester Harbor, Eastern Point, Halibut Point, Rockport’s Granite Pier, Pigeon Cove, and others. Dress for brisk winter seacoast weather. Bad storms or other conditions that make the drive unsafe or the birding impossible will cancel the trip.
Departs from Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI; February 25, 2024; 7:00 am-5:00 pm; Fee: Other; $65 for members, $80 for non-members. Ages: Teen to Adult. For program details and to register, visit www.asri.org/calendar. 

Seals and Society
New! Traveling Exhibit
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
Through March 1, 2024;9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Dive into the world of harbor and grey seals, two local and abundant species in our region! This temporary exhibit, created by the New Bedford Whaling Museum, includes multiple pop-up screens, stunning photographs, and up-to-date research that brings you into the seals’ watery world. Learn how different people and cultures relate to seals, how these mammals forage, sense their world, where they travel, and more.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Free with admission.